The Future of Net-Zero Engineering Leadership
Baroruchi Mishra, Group CEO, Nauvata Energy Transition (NET) Enterprise Pvt. Ltd, 0
Robust engineering is the bedrock of a successful project in any sector. Front End Engineering defines and de-risks the execution of the project. Detailed Engineering is essentially design development incorporating the vendor data and finalization of the 3D models. Credible Feasibility studies are key to shaping up projects that take FID.
Discipline Engineering fundamentals don’t change, never mind the application, and yet, the complete value chain of Net Zero Projects like CCUS, Green Hydrogen, Offshore Winds, Biofuels etc., would require significant re-skilling of the traditional engineering resources. This is because the engineering experiences for projects required for delivering Energy Transition are limited. Engineers in the Energy Transition need to appreciate the principles of:
• Equifinality –a given end state which can be achieved by many potential means – Wind, Solar, and Ocean Waves can all produce green electricity, and
• Multinfinality – a single system configuration can support achieving more than one goal – geological storage of CO2 can enable multiple Blue-products – Low Carbon Steel, Low Carbon Cement, Low Carbon Hydrogen, Biofuels etc.
Engineering for Net Zero Projects has its challenges. The Design Code requirements for engineering that cater to majority of Energy Transition projects need to be established and harmonized across various geographies. These codes are being developed for design of scaled-up facilities by the regulators and/or the design institutes, almost concurrent with the development and de-risking of the technology itself. In this context, it needs to be mentioned that the codal requirements that can capture and design out all the failure modes is still a challenge as not many facilities in the Net Zero space are in operation so far. The pilot plants/demo plants that are used for R&D do not necessarily reflect the operability risks of facilities that are 50-100x there size. Some examples like the engineering requirements for Carbon Capture and Sequestration/Storage, Green Hydrogen etc. stand out. New Reactor designs which are required for, say, plasma gasification of the feedstock or for microbial conversion of the syn-gas to ethanol etc. are still very OEM dependent. Industry design codes still need to catch up.
A paradigm shift in the way we have so far imparted engineering education is needed. It requires collaboration between academia, the industry and the policymakers at scales that have not been imagined before. While each needs to adapt to the change, they also need to rely upon and influence each other so that the outcome is a creation of the national level engineering and projects-delivery eco-system that help achieve the Net Zero Goals.
Engineering education needs to move faster to bring about the relevant Net Zero Engineering courses in their offerings. Some examples of changes that may be needed in the current syllabus of some engineering disciplines are noted below:
• Reservoir engineering courses should include a CO2 Sequestration /Storage syllabus. There are many similarities in hydrocarbon production and CO2 injection/storage when it comes to reservoir modelling and understanding the reservoir properties but there are subtle differences as well. CCS needs to be developed into a full-blown elective subject in the Petroleum Engineering or Reservoir Engineering courses.
• Upgrade of the Labs: Reservoir engineering Labs should be equipped to analyze core samples for CO2 injection and interaction of CO2 with the rock surfaces or with the residual oil, gas or water saturations in pore spaces. These labs can then help the Industry carryout the necessary experiments to shape up their projects as
well.
• Chemical Engineering Courses/ Systems Engineering Courses need an upgrade with a focused syllabus on
• Hydrogen - with a clear emphasis on System Integration between green power generation, green H2 production using various types of electrolysers, transportation and deployment for ultimate use cases.
• Engineering approaches for new technologies for manufacture of synthetic gas, which then provide various pathways for its use and ultimate conversion to useable energy at scale including its conversion to Bio-fuels.
• Bio-engineering courses need to orient themselves to design systems that are orientated toward exploiting the dormant energy from cells and tissues with light or catalysis to unleash large-scale bio-energy.
• Civil and Mechanical Engineering Courses need to reorient themselves to increase focus on engineering and detailed design of green buildings and on structural engineering aspects of offshore winds etc. Designing infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather events and adapt to urban planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change are some of the key considerations that will need significant amount of credit hours in the engineering courses.
• Financial Engineering for Green Finances and Green Economics: Engineering for green projects cannot be done in isolation. Given the cost challenges, engineers for Net Zero need to appreciate what designs will make their projects fly! Therefore, engineers need to understand carbon accounting, green finances, carbon taxes and their various linkages to engineering design. In the absence of cost benchmarks for historical project, this task is difficult but a bottoms-up, component level approach can definitely help.
• Circular Engineering – Maastricht University in the Netherlands offers undergraduate courses in Circular Engineering. Students work on “breakthrough chemical, biotechnological, and physical processes to create sustainable products using renewable raw materials and energy sources,……learn to become part of the transition to a circular economy, which aims to close production cycles and minimize waste by circulating resources……. and become the engineer of the future with a passion for sustainability and circularity”. Isn’t this the future of Net Zero already!!
Engineering education for Net Zero requires a lot of industry support. The industry needs to step up internships for engineering students at its Net Zero Facilities and at the same time fund pilots and labs for Engineering Colleges and Universities. Industry-Academia collaboration has been a win-win; the opportunity now is to make it even more so.
In India where Energy Transition involves a deep appreciation for energy security, energy equity and sustainability, engineers can play a crucial role. By focusing on the decarbonization of energy systems, advancing sustainable practices, promoting resource efficiency, and enhancing climate resilience, engineering practices can bring about a mind-set change. Interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and adopting digital technologies will be central to the path towards Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality. In doing so, the engineer teams will have created an excellent platform to support existing and new industries in their transition towards achieving Net Zero targets.
Finally, it is about taking a holistic view that understands and connects the various pathways for Net Zero. Engineers need to understand and apply systems thinking as the majority of the Net Zero pathways interact in pre-determined ways. Appreciating the interdependence and strong feedback loops will ensure robust engineering that helps meet the design intent and manage misalignment (entropy) so that the outcomes are achieved at the lowest cost.The future of net zero engineering will hinge on advancing innovative technologies and practices that integrate sustainability into every facet of design and operation.
• Chemical Engineering Courses/ Systems Engineering Courses need an upgrade with a focused syllabus on
• Hydrogen - with a clear emphasis on System Integration between green power generation, green H2 production using various types of electrolysers, transportation and deployment for ultimate use cases.
• Engineering approaches for new technologies for manufacture of synthetic gas, which then provide various pathways for its use and ultimate conversion to useable energy at scale including its conversion to Bio-fuels.
The future of net zero engineering will hinge on advancing innovative technologies and practices that integrate sustainability into every facet of design and operation.
• Bio-engineering courses need to orient themselves to design systems that are orientated toward exploiting the dormant energy from cells and tissues with light or catalysis to unleash large-scale bio-energy.
• Civil and Mechanical Engineering Courses need to reorient themselves to increase focus on engineering and detailed design of green buildings and on structural engineering aspects of offshore winds etc. Designing infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather events and adapt to urban planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change are some of the key considerations that will need significant amount of credit hours in the engineering courses.
• Financial Engineering for Green Finances and Green Economics: Engineering for green projects cannot be done in isolation. Given the cost challenges, engineers for Net Zero need to appreciate what designs will make their projects fly! Therefore, engineers need to understand carbon accounting, green finances, carbon taxes and their various linkages to engineering design. In the absence of cost benchmarks for historical project, this task is difficult but a bottoms-up, component level approach can definitely help.
• Circular Engineering – Maastricht University in the Netherlands offers undergraduate courses in Circular Engineering. Students work on “breakthrough chemical, biotechnological, and physical processes to create sustainable products using renewable raw materials and energy sources,……learn to become part of the transition to a circular economy, which aims to close production cycles and minimize waste by circulating resources……. and become the engineer of the future with a passion for sustainability and circularity”. Isn’t this the future of Net Zero already!!
Engineering education for Net Zero requires a lot of industry support. The industry needs to step up internships for engineering students at its Net Zero Facilities and at the same time fund pilots and labs for Engineering Colleges and Universities. Industry-Academia collaboration has been a win-win; the opportunity now is to make it even more so.
In India where Energy Transition involves a deep appreciation for energy security, energy equity and sustainability, engineers can play a crucial role. By focusing on the decarbonization of energy systems, advancing sustainable practices, promoting resource efficiency, and enhancing climate resilience, engineering practices can bring about a mind-set change. Interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and adopting digital technologies will be central to the path towards Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality. In doing so, the engineer teams will have created an excellent platform to support existing and new industries in their transition towards achieving Net Zero targets.
Finally, it is about taking a holistic view that understands and connects the various pathways for Net Zero. Engineers need to understand and apply systems thinking as the majority of the Net Zero pathways interact in pre-determined ways. Appreciating the interdependence and strong feedback loops will ensure robust engineering that helps meet the design intent and manage misalignment (entropy) so that the outcomes are achieved at the lowest cost.The future of net zero engineering will hinge on advancing innovative technologies and practices that integrate sustainability into every facet of design and operation.